Destiny Unbound
Let’s start at the beginning. I left home for a hitchhiking adventure when I was 15 years old. Me and a couple of friends were headed up to Vermont from Buffalo to catch a Grateful Dead show. It took us a few days, but we made it up together, and I fell in love with America.
Fast forward a year. Jerry’s gone, and I decide to head out west to see some old friends and catch a few Furthur shows. After a crazy day at Fiddler’s Green, I make the call to hang out in Colorado for a while. There’s mountains. I like it here. Boulder, Colorado is one of those cities that just attracts traveling/homeless/adventuresome kids. I met some amazing people who took me in there, friendly and understanding. They also schooled me, taught me some things that I needed to know. As the summer was winding down, I began to hear talk of an upcoming Phish show at Red Rocks. Almost everyone I knew there was going, and I figured I’d tag along. I had heard some Phish before, and was intrigued. They reminded me of nuevo-Zappa, seasoned with Dr. Demento along with a side of some good ‘ol rock and roll. Some interesting things happened at that run, and I made some new friends. Ones with cars, and tickets. I was on the bus before I knew what was happening.
I saw just under one hundred shows (my count is now 101) from summer ’96 to summer ’98. I became the man I am today for the most part. I learned to thrive in parking lots, hotels and campgrounds. And I fucking LOVED every minute of it. Phish was my life for a few years. Then, as these things usually go, I fell in love with a girl and decided to slow down. I would catch a show here and there, and actively traded tapes, but Phish was changing too and I had no desire to follow them down the road they had chosen. I immersed myself in bluegrass and jazz for a while. I knew that they were on “hiatus” for a while. And I listened to their “last” concert, Coventry, live on XM radio at work. It was so bad, I sheepishly shut it off. I was completely embarrassed after having told so many co workers how great the band was. Coventry may have been emotional, but there’s a damn good reason you don’t see it on too many fans iPods.
Then came the arrest. And the resurrection I witnessed at ROTHBURY.
Now it’s 2009, and after playing together at a friends wedding they announce a 3 night run at the Hampton Coliseum with a tour to follow. We were on the edge of our seats…could they do it? Would it be the same? Better? Different? Hampton turned out to be a barnburner, and I knew the tour would be steaming.
And so it has been. A few flubs here and there, but that’s only expected after so long apart from each other. They’re playing a handful of songs a LOT, but introducing new tunes and busting out some old goodies too. As a spectator, the biggest change has been the ability to watch the shows as they’re happening. I’m watching and listening to tonights set at Bonnaroo as I type. Cell phones have come a looooong way. When I was on tour, I had a pager.
Tori, Tiny E and I are heading to our old stomping grounds in the cornfields next week. This may very well be the last show I see at Deer Creek, and will certainly be the last time I see Phish before were a family of three. It’s gonna be a blast taking our unborn child to see so many friends, and four very special ones indeed.
Add comment June 14th, 2009
